The Eastern Mountain Range, which ran along the border of the Empire, was a chain of rugged and towering peaks.

Because of this, many of the territories in the region had little arable land, making them less prosperous, and they could never quite shake the reputation of being nothing more than remote, backwater mountain villages.

The Doan family, whose estate lay at the foot of the eastern mountains, was no exception.

Although the family had maintained their lineage for over two hundred years, like most eastern noble houses, they remained largely unknown.

“This is such a headache.”

Martian muttered with a weary expression.

Martian Doan, Viscountess of the Doan family, was now the head of the family, constantly struggling to keep the estate running smoothly.

Due to the scarcity of arable land in their domain, the family’s main source of income was timber.

Thanks to the alternating hot and cold weather, the trees in this region grew with dense grains and beautiful patterns, making them highly prized for the manufacture of luxury furniture.

Contrary to popular belief, it was this timber trade that enabled the Eastern families to maintain a modest lifestyle.

But unlike crops, which could be harvested annually, timber was a much more complicated commodity.

Once a tree was felled, it took at least seven years before a new one could be harvested.

If trees were planted based on short-term demand, by the time they matured the market could have changed completely.

Many had been ruined by cutting trees for immediate profit, only to find the cash flow dried up when there was no timber left to sell later.

Martian put down the papers she had been reviewing and let out a heavy sigh.

“There are so many headaches just running a single estate…”

Balancing immediate income with preserving assets for the future had always been a difficult task.

Martian reached out and picked up the teacup sitting on her desk.

The tea had long since gone cold and tasted unpleasant.

“Ron, get me a fresh cup of tea.”

Martian set the cup down with a sharp clatter as she spoke to the man standing behind her.

He was tall and lean, with a striking build, but his dark skin clearly marked him as a foreigner, one of the people once notorious for piracy.

Ron moved deftly to clear the tea set from the desk.

As Martian pulled a new stack of documents towards her, she added.

“Make it something that’ll help me stay awake. Make it hot; I intend to drink it slowly.”

“Understood, my lady.”

His reply was obedient, but his tone was curt.

Martian chuckled to herself as she watched him behave so much like a common servant.

Ron had been brought to the Doan estate as a child.

Martian had found him collapsed and unattended, his skin colour making him a target for discrimination and neglect.

She had been young herself at the time, and had acted out of impulsive compassion, not any noble cause.

Nevertheless, her mother – the former Viscountess Doan – had decided to take Ron into the household.

From then on, he grew up at Martian’s side, running errands and doing odd jobs.

He remained her personal servant to this day.

Of course, he wasn’t just a servant.

As Ron prepared to leave with the tea set, Martian spoke.

“Are you taking care of the task I gave you?”

“…I am.”

“Then have it inspected before you go.”

She leaned back heavily in her chair, moving her chin.

Since she would be returning to work soon anyway, a short break was justified.

After all, productivity always increased when you took a break from time to time.

When Ron hesitated, she urged him again.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Reluctantly, Ron put down what he was carrying and unbuckled his trousers.

Where his underwear should have been, there was an obscene leather restraint encircling his gr*in.

Tightly tied with cords, the device looked unbearably constricting.

Martian reached out and grasped the restraint.

She felt the flesh inside swell slightly and spoke coolly,

“There shouldn’t have been anything to excite you back there. What were you up to?”

“Nngh… I wasn’t… doing anything…”

She tightened her grip and Ron flinched, a muffled moan escaping his lips.

After a moment, Martian loosened her grip and began to slowly massage the area.

The gentle stimulation caused Ron to respond immediately.

Although Ron was her personal attendant, he was also her lover.

Having been with her for over a decade, he had long been trained to respond willingly to her touch.

Ron let out another low moan.

The restraint only tightened as he grew harder, mixing pain with pleasure.

Suddenly Martian withdrew her hand.

“The inspection is over. Now down to the kitchen. After twenty years here, you’d better know how to make tea properly.”

Her study was on the top floor of the mansion, the kitchen on the ground floor.

It would be a humiliating journey for Ron to move through the house in such an awkward, half-aroused state, but he bowed his head and replied.

“At once, my lady.”

Martian gave a light laugh.

“Good. Make sure you’re back before I finish five more documents.”

***

Since the law had changed to give the right of succession to the eldest child regardless of gender, it had become common for women to inherit the title in the Doan family.

As daughters were almost always born first in the Doan line, the title of Viscountess had always gone to the eldest daughter.

It was no longer uncommon for a woman to inherit a noble title, but going back only three or four generations, it had been extremely rare.

In most noble families, if there was a male heir, the older daughters were often forced to relinquish their claim to the title.

For a woman to inherit meant that there was no man to carry on the family line – and in the male-dominated world of nobility, such families were easily scorned and looked down upon.

The people who served the Doan family had endured such pity and ridicule from outsiders for generations.

With so many enemies on the outside, the family was tight-knit.

The servants had worked for generations, and their pride and loyalty to the House of Doan was accordingly strong.

Hannah, the head cook, was one of them.

She made a point of scolding Ron, as if she wanted him to hear her loud and clear.

“You would do well to learn how to brew tea properly. You’re quite old, but you don’t have a single useful skill to show for it…”

The servants of the manor didn’t think much of Ron.

As an orphaned foreigner, his status was far too low to be associated with the Viscountess, and he was considered a blot on the family’s honour.

However, because he was Martian’s favourite companion, he was spared any hard labour.

Apart from running simple errands, his only real duty was to stay at Martian’s side.

Hannah filled the teapot to the brim with tea.

It was so full that even the slightest shake would cause it to spill, but Ron accepted it without a word.

He was used to this sort of petty spite.

However, he realised that this was a rather serious problem before he had taken ten steps out of the kitchen. His *rection, restrained by the chastity device, caused his gait to falter slightly. The tea sloshed around in the pot with every unsteady step. If he walked even a little faster, he would either put too much strain on his body or his strength would fail him completely.

To meet Martian’s order, he had to walk quickly, but he couldn’t risk spilling the tea just to meet her standard. Ron sighed and walked slowly.

“You’re late, Ron.”

Martian said as he entered. The deadline she had set had long since passed.

Ron placed the teacup and teapot on one side of her desk, filled the empty teacup with tea and then knelt down by her desk.

“I have no excuse, my lady.”

His posture showed no sign of apology. Martian let out a short laugh and drank the tea he had brought. The steaming tea was rich in flavour. It felt like a reward for the time he had spent working. A reward. She put the cup down.

Ron was still on his knees, waiting for the punishment she was going to give him. That feeling of reward was deeply satisfying.

Martian had a s*xual preference for dominating and abusing her partner.

She preferred faces twisted and dishevelled from crying to neatly groomed, and instead of her partner behaving with courtesy and elegance, she wanted him to spread his legs roughly in front of her.

In this respect, she was quite grateful to have a noble title. A titled noble didn’t have to worry about her spouse’s opinion. Martian was honest about her own desires, and she often found relief in giving in to them.

Martian stood up and pushed back her chair.

“You’ve been useless, so stay under there today. Take off your clothes and come in.”

She intended to leave Ron trapped under the desk. Running her foot between his legs and trampling on his manhood while she worked was a rather enjoyable pastime.

Ron undressed completely but was not allowed to remove the chastity device. Because of the painful restraint, his *rousal remained in a state of ambiguous excitement rather than a full *rection.

As he undressed, Ron glanced at the papers stacked on her desk. Half of the pile on the left had been moved to the right, but the other half was still there.

This meant that Martian would probably be in the study for at least another half day. He crawled under the desk at her gesture.

The paperwork that had begun in the morning continued until the evening glow spread across the sky.

When Ron didn’t come down to the kitchen after dinner, another servant came up to bring a meal.

Mashed potatoes, roast meat and vegetables were laid out. After putting out all the necessary utensils, the servant said.

“I’ll wait outside until you’ve finished eating. Please call me if you need the dishes cleared away…”

“No, don’t bother. I’ll get Ron to do it.”